Glaucoma is a disease which can lead to irreversible loss of vision. A significant risk factor for glaucoma is ocular hypertension, i.e., increased pressure within the eye. Schlemm's canal is a circular channel in the eye that collects aqueous humor from the anterior chamber and delivers it into the bloodstream. On the inside of the canal, nearest to the aqueous humor, it is covered by the trabecular meshwork. If debris builds up, due to infection or injury in the aqueous humor, the canal typically becomes blocked, thereby causing glaucoma.
Canaloplasty, as currently known in the art, is a procedure in which an incision is made into the eye to gain access to Schlemm's canal. A microcatheter circumnavigates the canal around the iris, enlarging the main drainage channel and smaller collector channels through the injection of a sterile, gel-like material called viscoelastic. The catheter is then removed, and a suture is placed within the canal and tightened. By opening the canal, the pressure inside the eye may be relieved.